Plans

Department of Public Health and Environment Planning

The Department of Public Health and Environment regularly prepares plans about the actions the county or other organizations are going to take to address public health and environmental concerns.

Washington County Community Health Improvement Plan

The 2014 Washington County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is a long-term, systematic effort to address public health priorities identified during the Community Health Assessment (CHA) and community health improvement processes. The CHIP will be used by the Department of Public Health and Environment (PHE) along with our community partners to set priorities, coordinate resources, develop policies, and define actions to target efforts that protect and promote health.

Community health improvement planning is a foundational practice of public health as well as a national standard for all public health departments. Since the passage of the Local Public Health Act in 1976, Minnesota local health departments have been required to engage in a community health improvement process, beginning with a CHA. As part of Minnesota’s Local Public Health Assessment and Planning process, every health department must submit a CHIP dated within five years to the Minnesota Department of Health.

Washington County Groundwater Plan

Minnesota Statute 103B provides counties with the authority and requirements for completing groundwater plans. Washington County adopted its most recent groundwater plan, the Washington County Groundwater Plan 2014-2024, on September 23, 2014. The overall goal of the plan is to manage the quality and quantity of groundwater in Washington County to protect the health and ensure sufficient supplies of clean water to support human uses and natural ecosystems. Protecting and conserving groundwater resources is important for maintaining high quality drinking water, healthy streams, clear lakes, fish habitat, rare plants, and economic vitality.

Washington County Waste Management Master Plan

In November 2017 the Washington County Board of Commissioners adopted the Washington County Waste Management Master Plan 2018-2036 and submitted the Plan to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for approval. The county’s Waste Management Master Plan is updated every six years to guide waste management activities while establishing waste projections for the next 18 years. The Master Plan is also developed in conjunction with a Regional Solid Waste Management Plan.